Reawakening in Death
by Gunpowder Cookies
Summary: Maka's death was a shock. What was even more shocking is that her soul went missing. Soon, battles begin to ensue over posession of said soul. However, Maka suprises everybody even in death. Will Shibusen regain her soul? Is it even worth it? *on hiatus*
1. The Tempest

**AN: My first Fanfic here, okay? Hi! Thanks to anybody reading this- I'm afraid that I'm not very good, so I'll readily accept any constructive criticism or ideas in the form of reviews. If, however, you have something specific, PM me and I'll answer ASAP.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Soul Eater, Ookubi Atsushi does. I do, however, own this smiley **

In the distance, the island seemed to shimmer, a hazy blob on the horizon. Everything around it shone and glistened, as if it were the focal point of a painting; unconditionally beautiful, endearing.

Maka Albarn balled her hands into fists, focussed on the island. Her hair was blowing in the gentle breeze, contrasting with the hard, determined look in her jade green eyes.

Next to her, Soul sighed.

"Remind me what we're here for?" He asked yet again.

Maka groaned. "Next time you ask, I'll chuck you off the boat. We're here for Caliban."

"Wasn't that something Shakespeare made up?" He asked, bored out of his skull, feeling triumphant as Maka raised an eyebrow at him knowing anything to do with the old geezer.

"Partly. Caliban dwells on that island. It's a place of insanity, of pretend beauty which draws ships to it. Shakespeare was the first to escape the island alive, so he wrote about it as a warning."

"What's so dangerous? I mean, I know it drives them to insanity, but how does this kill them?"

"It doesn't. Caliban does."

Soul glared at the girl, so matter-of-fact when talking about things that could potentially kill her. "So why are we going?"

"Please don't make me answer that."

"Anti-demon wavelength?"

"Bingo. Any more questions?" She asked mockingly.

"Why are we only coming now?"

"Most people didn't know about the island's danger, spare a few locals. It's only when somebody deciphered the hidden message in _The Tempest _that people took it seriously. And recently, with the amount of people sent to investigate, the island's power has become so strong that the ocean currents are beginning to direct ships towards the island."

"Hidden message?"

The girl didn't reply directly. All she said was: "_The Tempest_ was Shakespeare's last play."

"Oh."

Maka turned around and smiled. "Oh?" She echoed. Her partner grinned back. They made an odd pair- Maka, the bookish, hardworking and ambitious daughter of a death scythe and powerful meister; and Soul, lazy, sarcastic and undyingly loyal. There had always been people sceptical of their partnership, least of all Maka's father, but the pair had proved them wrong with their skill and courage.

To be honest, both of them still found it hard to believe. They'd faced zombies, werewolves, demons and countless other trials. Yet they were alive and one of Shibusen's strongest young meisters, and had achieved the ultimate rank- "Death Scythe".

But Soul had been paying enough attention to know that this battle would be no picnic in the sun. In fact, an uneasy feeling was beginning to spread through him like a cancer, an ominous premonition. He was snapped out of this when he noticed something/

"How are we supposed to steer this thing?" Even though they'd been adrift for hours, Soul had just realised the reason- there was no steering mechanism. No engine. No oars. No nothing.

"We let the currents carry us."

"How do we land, then?"

"We don't." Maka replied simply. Soul's mouth dropped open.

"You half-mad idiot! Are we supposed to capsize or crash or something?"

"Yup."

Soul groaned and slumped into the boat. _She may be a cool meister, _he thought; _but God, she's reckless._

As if sensing his thoughts, a Maka grinned. "Don't worry. We'll wash up safe."

"And how do you know?"

"I just do."

_Brilliant. Just brilliant._

_

* * *

_Light. She sensed light through her closed eyelids.

Maka woke up groggily, confused for a few fleeting moments until she remembered where she was. A beach, picture perfect, with a few pieces of driftwood that may once have been their boat scattered in the sand. She gradually became conscious of the fact that she was holding her partner's hand, which she dropped as if it had been a hot poker. Memories stirred, and she remembered grasping on as the sudden storm had struck, like she knew it would. A tempest. The boy stirred, sand in his snowy hair. He looked up, not really that different to when Maka woke him up in the morning. She could almost see the daggers in his crimson eyes.

"It's all your fault." He murmured.

"It worked, didn't it?" She counteracted. Soul got up, her following. Together, they scanned the scenery.

"So where's the demon?"

"Weapon form." She commanded, ignoring him. Although irritated, Soul transformed. Maka spun the scythe before gripping it tightly. The blade glinted in the sun, whilst the eye was glaring.

"Will you answer my question?" He asked. Maka smiled at his classic impatience. _He may be annoying, lazy and obsessed with being cool _, she thought, _(and a slight pervert),_she added, grudgingly remembering the most recent incident with Blair which had resulted in Soul bloody nosed on the floor with a book-sized dent in his head, _but… _she abandoned the thought

"We'll go where the insanity's strongest."

"Great. Let's go to where we're most likely to lose our minds."

"Just shut up."

They set off into the dense wilderness, plants pressing on all sides. Maka pushed her way through, leaves brushing on all sides. It was a beautiful place, filled with such a variety or foliage that it would have left even the most learned of botanists dumbfounded- but there was a distinct lack of living creatures. Somehow, that was what set her on edge.

They continued through the silent forest. After a while, a rustling came from above. Quiet, barely noticeable, but it instantly directed the girl's attention. Maka stopped dead on her tracks.

"Maka?"

"Did you hear that?"

"Hear what?"

"I think it's a-."

She was cut off as the thing dropped from the canopy and dashed towards her, missing as she leaped out the way. The creature snarled and straightened.

It was a young man, wearing the tattered remains of what might have been trousers. He was handsome and muscular, but now his hair and face was wild, savage. He stood like a wild beast, teeth bared, claw-like hands. He was holding a makeshift spear, and was poised to pounce.

Maka was ready, and, with one swift movement of her scythe, sliced the spear in half. The man looked at the stick in his hand for a second, then pulled out a stone knife, persistent in his quest to kill the intruders. _Great. Now I'm gonna have to kill him._

"What is that?" Soul asked, somewhat confused by what he saw.

"When Caliban takes a person's soul, the-"

She lunged to the side just in time, the knife only just scraping her cheek.

"Maka! You okay?"

"I'm not a china doll, Soul. I can handle damage. Remind me not to let my guard down, though."

Just then, something hit the tree behind with a thud. Another arrow whistled through Maka's hair, causing her to flinch away. After a third was uncomfortably close, a second figure charged in from behind the shadows of the trees. This one was a girl- certainly not a day over sixteen- wielding a makeshift crossbow, eyes only just visible behind a shaggy mane of hair. Maka felt a pang of guilt, the sickening feeling of having to kill somebody innocent. But no. _A body is just a container, _she reminded herself.

Yet that made her feel worse, so she pushed the thought away and focussed on the battle.

"Maka…" Soul said, warning her that she was going to have to be careful.

"I know, Soul." She replied, racking her brain for a plan. She put the first one that came instantly into action. Turning around, Maka darted away, searching for somewhere to initiate that first phase.

"Running away won't help!" Her partner cried, shocked that his meister appeared to be retreating.

"Just trust me on this one."

Before Soul even had time to question her motives, she sprang up and grabbed onto a nearby branch, hauling herself up. A few branches later and she was in the canopy, a dense veil of leaves hiding them from the forest floor.

"Maka," her partner said again, starting to catch on, "Are you sure this will work?"

"No, not really." She replied, crouching and listening for the pad of bare feet below. Sure enough, she heard it- the crunching of layers of dead leaves, the heavy breathing, the soft grunting.

"Ready?" She asked with a subtle smile. Soul didn't need to reply.

With a cry, Maka swung herself from the branch and fell to the ground, slicing through the girl and causing the body to disparate. She had landed and taken out the man before he even noticed. Only the knife and crossbow were left, lying on the floor. Maka breathed steadily, staring at the makeshift weapons.

"…Where's the soul?"

"They don't have souls anymore."

"…"

"Anyway," she said, straightening. "Time to find this island's king."

* * *

"I'M KING OF THE WOOOOOOOOOORRRRRRLD!"

"Yes, Black Star. But isn't it usually 'I am the man who will surpass God'?"

The ninja boy dropped down from the third floor balcony to join his weapon, sighing. "I'm bored. Where are Soul and Maka when you need them?"

"On a mission." Tsubaki replied helpfully.

"They're always on a mission!" Black Star protested. "Stupid death scythe-ness."

Although she didn't agree, Tsubaki nodded amicably.

A thought occurred to him. "You're gonna be a death scythe soon too, right?"

The girl nodded. "Just the witch soul left." After Mifune's defeat, Tsubaki was tantalisingly close to becoming a death scythe. But things were no different from before, and it didn't look like that final soul would be obtained anytime soon. Tsubaki was patient, though. Her partner, less so. Sid was in despair, poor zombie.

Black Star grinned, striking a pose. "Said witch will be no match for the great Black Star!"

"Oh really now?"

"TEEEHEEEE!"

Tsubaki turned around. "Kid!" She exclaimed, seeing the young shinigami saunter up, followed by his weapons, one of whom was giggling manically, the other attempting to shut Patti up.

"Quit butting in, Kid!" Black Star retorted, still holding his pose.

"I couldn't help but notice that your pose was asymmetrical. Oh, and that you claimed you'd be able to beat a witch easily."

"TEEEEEEEEEHEEEEEE!"

"I will!"

"TEEEEEEEEEEHEEEEEEEEEEEE!"

"Even if you do, somehow I doubt that you'll actually devour the soul, knowing you."

"TEEEEEEEEHHHHHEEEEEEEE!"

The boy simply cackled. "Say what you like! I am the-."

"TEEEEEEEHEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!"

Black Star finally snapped, yelling straight into Patti's face. "SHUDDUP, BITCH!"

Liz, ticked off, pushed her giggling sister out the way, towering over the ninja. Flames of fury sprung from her eyes, fists clenched. "WHAT. DID. YOU. SAY. ABOUT. MY. SISTER?"

Tsubaki attempted to keep smiling as the screams of pain echoed off the walls.

"TEEEEEEHEEEEEEEEE!"

**AN: Ummm… I tried. You'll see more of the other characters in not-so-random scenes later on, I just felt that I needed some humour in this chapter. And if you haven't already guessed, this fanfic is going to reference Shakespeare's **_**The Tempest**_** a lot, but it can be understood otherwise. *later on* ...I just re-read this. *wails***


	2. Island King

**AN: Chapter 2! I actually decided that this wasn't bad enough to abandon! I've got a lot of future things planned- chapters may not be exceedingly long, but I'm planning on having quite a few. Any suggestions, comments, criticism and cookies are welcome. But no compliments or spinach. Cos they're bleh. Oh, and let's say that this chapter occasionally uses… colourful language (well, it is rated T). Finally, not much of either Jacky or Harver's personalities have been revealed so far, so I've resorted to my own imagination *le gasp***

**Disclaimer: I do not own Soul Eater, its characters or any degree of sanity.**

"WORK, GADDAMIT!" shrieked Spirit Albarn, shaking the mirror until a Shinigami chop put him in his place. The mirror continued to crackle and fizz in a snowstorm of monochrome dots, the occasional crackly, muffled sound escaping. Lord Death stared at it, and then slumped.

"I…it wasn't me!" Wailed the cry-baby death scythe, terrified of a second Shinigami chop. "It was broken beforehand!"

"It wasn't broken. The island demons are messing with our signal."

"But how will I know of my darling Maka?" Came the sniffled response. Most people would find it strange for a full-grown man to be tearful in the corner with a homemade doll of his daughter, but this happened so frequently that the Shinigami wasn't phased in the slightest.

"Trust her. She's in good hands."

Spirit glared. He hadn't taken well to Soul becoming his daughter's partner in the first place; now that he wasn't watching over her and had to put his faith in a snowy haired, shark toothed boy, he definitely didn't like this. "I'll go anyway!" He announced, jumping up only to collapse again, nursing the dent in his head.

"Wielded by who? I can't leave, and I'm not taking the risk of sending Stein anywhere near there."

Spirit pouted. "At least send somebody else with them, then."

The Shinigami sighed. "You're too protective. The girl's made a Death Scythe- can't you trust her?"

"A father's love for his daughter prioritises over all!"

"Oh, so is that why you continuously cheated on your wife, resulting in a divorce and hatred from your 'darling Maka'?" came a girl's voice, followed by a giggle from another.

The Death Scythe was on the floor, and not because of a Shinigami chop. The doors were flung open, and a group of kids came in. The elite group Spartoi. And a cat.

"Come to check on Maka's progress!" chirped Blair, sashaying over to the mirror, leaving Kim and Jacqueline to giggle at Spirit's anguish. The gang came in behind her, with a particularly impressive entrance from Black Star. Spirit looked up, ignoring the two girls.

"It's broken. You may as well go home."

"Aww, what's the fun in that?" Patty sang.

There was silence until Kid spoke up. "Where did they go again?"

"Prosperia Island."

"Isn't that the island that's affecting the ocean currents? The one filled with insanity demons?"

"Yes."

"…Is it really safe to send them there?"

Lord Death gave a laugh, proud at how intelligent Kid was. _He'll make a wonderful Shinigami _he thought, with a touch of sadness. How much freedom would Kid lose, what responsibility he would have to take. He was happy with his son being a meister. He was happy to see he had friends, that he was enjoying life.

"It's not safe to send anybody there, Kid. But with Maka's anti-demon wavelength and soul perception, I don't think we should worry."

"But Soul…"

"I know. All we can do is hope for the best."

"Father…" Kid murmured. He had always honoured the Shinigami, but he was truly worried about his friends. If this island was as bad as he'd heard, then the thought of Maka and Soul alone there was truly horrifying. A silence settled.

"WELL SCREW HOPING! I'M LEAVING!" came an all-too familiar voice. "C'MON, TSUBAKI!"

"You don't need to shout, Black Star." His weapon added, hurrying along. After some mumbling and the rest of the group took off, with shouts of "We'll be back soon!" and "Don't worry!" Gone within a minute of arriving. Typical kids.

Kid held back for a few seconds, smiling softly at his father before Patti dragged him away, singing "We're going to an island! To kill some meanie demons! Cuz we are awesome! ~"

* * *

Nothing else attacked them from thereon, at least. But Maka was sure she could hear them. Every small rustle made her jump, everything sounded like footsteps. Even if there were any of the human guards there, they didn't make a move.

Soul, on the other hand, was fed up with her paranoia.

"Jeez, Maka. Hurry up or we'll never find whatchamacallit."

"Caliban." She replied shakily. The battle beforehand, whilst easy, had shaken her up, making her realise the island's danger. She felt ill- or was that just dehydration?

"Well, can't you use your soul perception to find him?"

Maka shook her head. She could, but her earlier attempt had just fuelled her fear more. In Shibusen, they taught that fear was the heart of courage, but this island seemed to invoke more. A sense of dread, eerily silent, infiltrating her heart and soul.

_No. Don't let the insanity get to you. Soul's relying on you. Stop this, Maka. Stop._

Soul began to sense this. "Maka… you sure you're okay?"

"…Yeah." She replied, shaking her head to try and clear it. The forest seemed to be pressing on all sides, smothering her. The humidity was beginning to make her feel hot and uncomfortable in her trench coat. Yes, that was it. It wasn't the insanity- simply the humidity. That was what was making her feel ill, and giving her a roaring headache. It seemed a logical enough explanation.

"…Start moving then." Soul replied impatiently. He was secretly worried, but a hard, solid order was what she needed.

Maka obeyed, quickening her pace, gripping the scythe in her clammy, gloved hands. The forest all looked the same, and seemed to be leading nowhere. Maka knew to go where the insanity was strongest, but it was everywhere, in everything she felt and saw, oppressive. She was severely disorientated, as the plants began to crawl towards her and the darkness closed in.

"Maka!" Soul hissed through gritted teeth. "Get control of yourself."

The girl flinched slightly at his sudden aggressiveness, but carried on.

Soul sighed to himself. He hadn't meant to flip out at Maka. She was being affected by the goddam island, he realised. It made him feel uneasy. Maka had always been his pillar of sanity, the one he could always trust to stand by his side. The thought insanity was affecting her even in the slightest set his teeth on edge.

The truth is, he could feel the insanity too. Maka's wavelength was protecting him from the worst, but that tiny demon which he hated so much was starting to make his presence noticed.

"_Ooh, you seemed to hurt her feelings. Poor girl, meister to such a weapon."_

"_Shut the hell up."_

"_Somebody's irrational today."_

He shoved the demon away, trying to focus on something, anything else. He realised the shaking of Maka's hand, her heavy breathing, the uneasy pounding of his heart. And he cursed himself for snapping at her.

"…Maka?"

"Y-yeah?" She replied in the voice of one desperately trying to stay calm.

Soul sighed. He hated having to apologise. "…Sorry."

Maka's voice was still shaky, but her arm stopped trembling. He could sense her soul wavelength and heart relaxing. "It's okay."

For a split second, Soul wanted to tell her what an awesome meister she was. He wanted to throw being cool out of the window and say that he'd always stick by her side, no matter what.

But that was completely cliché, and Soul had always hated those kinds of movie scenes. Besides, he hardly matched the job description of hero. Be dashing and charming. Take your shirt of at random moments. Be completely personality deprived.

He'd never quite understood why he and Maka became partners. They'd never been conscious of each other's existence before they met in that piano room. He hadn't understood what she saw in the twisted pianist. He didn't even know what had seemed to interesting about this flat chested schoolgirl. It had just happened.

His thoughts were cancelled out when Maka stopped abruptly.

"Maka?"

"Sssshh."

"Is he here?"

"Nearby. You ready?"

"Do I even have a choice?" He snarked. Maka giggled slightly.

"No. I suppose you don't."

So they braced themselves for confrontation.

* * *

"A sailor went to sea sea sea~"

"Patti, you can stop now."

"Aww, but-"

"SHUT UP!"

The entire elite group Spartoi had, with the expert knowledge of Kid, charged their way to a tiny fisher village and demanded to go to the island. So they'd all been cast adrift on a boat so that the ocean currents would carry them to the island.

Good idea in theory, not so enjoyable in practice.

Their boat- a creaky nail-and-hammer job which was dangerously close to springing a leak- was far too small. Black Star, Tsubaki, Kid, Liz, Patti, Kim, Jacqueline, Ox, Harver, Kilik, the Pots of Fire and Thunder and Blair. Thirteen people in a boat supposed to contain a maximum of five; and even that was being optimistic.

They'd also underestimated the time it would take. Patti was singing songs. Fire and Thunder were splashing the water at the boat's edge. Everybody else was bored out of their skulls, and becoming increasingly more irritable.

Liz was attending to her nails. "Remind me why we're here again?"

"To help Soul and Maka."

"Damn them."

"Shut up, you lazy bitch."

"You too, E-number haired dickhead."

"Yeah, well at least my hair's naturally blue. Unlike your nails."

"You did not just-"

"SHUT THE FUCK UP BEFORE I SKIN YOU ALIVE AND USE THE HIND AS A FLAG!"

Everybody slowly turned to stare at the fuming Tsubaki, reeling from the shock of her sudden uncharacteristic outburst. Kilik was busy attempting to keep Fire and Thunder's ears covered by wedging their heads together.

Kid sighed. As a shinigami, he didn't get sunburn, but the sunlight was blinding him. The group had taken off any unnecessary layers, but that didn't help. "I swear, if we stay on this boat any longer, we'll go insane before we even reach the island."

"That's rich, coming from the person who made us come here." Kim sneered, shielding her eyes from the sunlight.

"It was Black Star!"

"Typical. Men just can't take blame, the bastards." Jacky joined in. Kim nodded in agreement, killing Ox inside.

"Says the girl who-"

"SHUT THE MOTHERFUCKING HELL UP OR I WILL USE YOUR BONES AS OARS, STEER OUT OF THIS GODDAM SEA AND FEED YOUR REMAINS TO HOBOS!"

The boat went silent.

"A sailor went to-"

Patti went silent when everybody turned to glare at her.

A clap of thunder, a flash of lightening, and rain began to fall all of a sudden. Black Star jumped up, a stream of shocking language flying from out of his mouth, most of it incomprehensible. The end was vaguely audible.

"WHADDYA GONNA DO NEXT? DROP AN ANVIL ON ME!"

"Careful, Black Star…" the once again amicable Tsubaki said. "The boat-"

"WELL, I'LL HAVE YOU KNOW THAT NO ANVIL CAN SILENCE THE GREAT BLACK STAR! WHAT THE HELL, DROP A BUILDING ON ME, DROP A PLANET ON ME!"

"Black Star!" Tsubaki cried as the boat began to rock violently on the already turbulent sea.

"MAYBE DROPPING A PLANET ON ME MIGHT ACTUALLY HAVE SOME EFFECT! DON'T UNDERESTIMATE ME WITH YOUR SISSY LITTLE RAINDROPS, YOU PANSY! I! AM! THE-"

The boat finally gave in to Black Star's manic jumping, and, with the screech of an animal in pain, fell apart, sending its occupants into the stormy sea.

Tsubaki had the sense of mind to grab onto the two closest hands she could before the wave washed over.

* * *

Soul and Maka stood braced for what seemed like forever, but could have only been a minute at the very longest. Maka gripped the scythe reassuringly, and Soul grinned to himself, proud to have such a strong and hardworking meister.

Maka stared intently into the darkness, eyes alight. Soul's scythe eye scanned around as well.

Then he noticed it.

The softest padding of footsteps, not even crunching the underfoot leaves. He couldn't see it, he couldn't hear any more, but his instincts were a good enough indicator. He turned to Maka, but she was focussed ahead, and Soul feared that making even the slightest sound would bring the world crashing down.

Why didn't she feel it, the madness approaching? Why was she still staring at the spot ahead?

"_So are you finally going to do something, dumbass? Or are you just gonna let this girl die?"_

Listening to the demon for once, Soul racked his brain for a plan.

"…Soul?"

"…Yeah?" he whispered cautiously.

"Did you hear tha-"

Before she finished the sentence, a shadow loomed over her. In a flurry of blue light, Soul transformed back, his arm still a scythe blade, defending his meister from the claw that, if he had been a second too late, would have certainly caused her demise.

The creature loomed away. It seemed almost like a crude mixture of the island itself. Half its face and one arm were made completely out of rock, the rest a molten fusion of metal and flesh. Moss clung to its body, bugs running in and out the cracks. Long talons, sharp and deadly, sprung from the tips of its stubby fingers. All in all, it was around three times Soul's height. The wide gash in its face that could be perceived as a mouth twisted into a wry smile.

Then Soul began to sense it. The feeling of power radiating from this being. The onyx eyes that seemed to see right into him. The voices on all sides. He could hear the whispers of the breeze, taste the air. And when he looked up at Caliban, he felt an overwhelming sense of release, serenity.

"No! Soul!" a voice cried. It was like somebody was experimenting with the sound knobs on an old radio- dipping between high and low, crackling continuously, and always that high pitched whine underneath it all. He turned his head drunkenly to see a creature holding onto his arm. It was a silhouetted figure, pure black, but its eyes were blood red, its mouth a manic grin.

Without a second thought, Soul backhanded it, sending the creature tumbling on the ground. He stared at his hand for a second, marvelling at his new-found strength. This island was paradise.

The creature picked itself up and tried to approach him again, but he simply raised his foot and kicked it square in the chest, propelling it into a tree, where it whimpered in pain.

Yet, for a single second, as his foot collided, Soul's vision cleared.

"…Maka?"

Then the world darkened once again. Soul didn't understand. Was that creature Maka, or was she a demon? Who was Maka? Why couldn't he think straight?

Soul had no answers. So he ran.

* * *

Wailing. That is what woke Kid. Moaning slightly, he opened his eyes and got up, brushing sand off his wet clothes. He became conscious of something shaking his leg- it was the Pot of Thunder, tears in her eyes. Grabbing onto his hand with her tiny one, she dragged him across the beach. Kid felt pity for the toddler, experiencing so much at such a young age. Now that she was separated from her twin, Kid could just imagine how vulnerable she felt.

The child came to an abrupt halt and pointed at a crumpled figure in the sand, whilst another was a few feet away. They were still breathing.

Kid leaned down and turned the nearest one over, instantly recognising her as Jacqueline. The second was Harver. Kid dragged the brunette girl into the shade of some trees, and then went to help Thunder.

Turns out he wasn't needed. With some superhuman strength, Thunder lifted Harver _above her head _and tossed him over to the spot. The boy still refused to wake up.

Jacky's eyelids began to flutter, and she sat bolt upright.

"Where's Kim?" she asked immediately. Kid's relief at the girl awakening was instantly wiped out.

"We don't know. Four of us washed up here."

"Four?" the girl quizzed before noticing Harver. She crawled over to him, a worried expression on her face. "Is he hurt?"

Kid nodded. "A few bruises, perhaps; but, then again, we all have some. He's just a heavy sleeper."

Jacky's face immediately transformed, as if embarrassed to have been expressing concern towards him. She immediately grabbed Harver by the shoulders and began shaking him.

"WAKE UP, DUMBASS!" She shouted into his face. The boy was unresponsive. Irritated, Jacky transformed her hand into a lantern burner, burning his arm. Harver jumped up with a shriek.

"What was that for?" he demanded.

Jacky stood up and stared at him straight in the eye. "You wouldn't wake up." She said matter-of-factly. "I was at the point if almost burning all your precious hair off." Harver patted his head to make sure Jacky hadn't got carried away.

Kid and Thunder sighed together. This was going to be one heck of a trek.

* * *

Meanwhile, on another beach just to the north, Kilik was beginning to stir.

"YAY! He's awake!"

And the first thing Kilik saw was Patti's chest, shoved in his face. He backed away slowly as another two people approached. Both were female.

"Took you long enough." Kim complained, her arms folded. "And no, none of us are injured."

"Errrm… shouldn't we get going?" Tsubaki urged timidly, completely different to her previous outburst on the boat.

Kilik nodded dumbly. Any other guy would have been overjoyed to be stuck on a beach with three girls. Yet these three terrified him.

"Then let's go! YAAAAAAAAAY!"

The girls set off, but Kilik called for them to wait. "Isn't this place supposed to be dangerous? Going in there unarmed would be a suicide mission.

"But… I'm a weapon!" Patti cried, confused. Tsubaki nodded, and Kim simply said "Witch, duh."

"Well I'm human, and I don't want to be kebabed cos I have no weapon!"

They sat there contemplating for a minute. Kim turned to the other two. "Which one, then?"

"OOOOHHH! PICK ME! PICK ME!"

"…I think that settles it."

"YAAAAAAAAAAAAY!"

* * *

Ox was having a similar experience. Okay, so being shipwrecked wasn't anybody's cup of tea.

Being shipwrecked with a stripper cat takes that to the next level.

One of Shibusen's top students in terms of both brains and brawn, Ox prided himself in not being at all lustful. However, that pride was about to be tested. Even though he hadn't been in the book of Eibon, it looked as though he wasn't going to escape that easily.

He was prodded on the cheek by a well-manicured nail until he woke up. Looking up, he saw Blair- damp hair sticking to her face, wearing her usual lack of attire and pouting.

"It's so wet! I hate being wet!"

Ox's hands immediately went to his head; he then breathed out a sigh of relief that his pillars were intact. "Then why were you on a boat?"

"Because I wanted to see Maka and Soul! It was boring at home! …I hate boats. And that one sucked!" Blair whined, pointing to a hunk of driftwood. Ox's superior intelligence kicked in.

"…That's not out boat."

Blair tilted her head to one side. "Huh?"

"Ours wasn't painted." Okay, so this one had its paint peeling of, its colours faded- but it definitely wasn't theirs.

The girl gasped. "That means… YAAAAAAAAY! THEY'RE HERE!" Blair hugged Ox, shoving his face into an… inappropriate place.

_Wait… am I having a nosebleed! Damn it! Why am I being such a pervert? I only love Kim!_

With a grin, Blair released the bloody Ox and dragged him into the forest to find their comrades.

* * *

To the South of the island was a cliff.

At the bottom of that cliff, all hell was breaking loose.

_Just my luck to end up with this douchebag._

_**Why the heck am I here with such a bitch?**_

Yes, Black Star and Liz had ended up washing up together, and were determined to continue their heated argument onboard the boat. The colourful and downright vulgar language streaming from their mouths would have made even the alcoholic chainsaw Giriko blush.

During one of the rare moments of silence when they paused to catch their breath, Liz noticed something. It was a small sound, but instantly recognisable.

"…Hear that?"

Black Star, expecting a tidal wave of curses, was caught off guard. Straining his ears, he heard it too; a small whining sound, tossed upon the wind. Looking up, he saw the figure.

"No way! How did _he _get up there before the great Black Star?"

'He' was referring to the Pot of Fire. Separated from his sister and his meister, the toddler had somehow scaled the cliff and was crying at the top. Liz shuddered. _I swear those toddlers are supernatural._

Black Star was not so amused. "He's a midget! How did he defeat the great Black Star!" Immediately, the ninja boy began to scale the cliff face.

"WAAAAAAIT!" Shrieked Liz, hair on end. "I can't climb up there!"

"And? There's no other way up."

Liz went beet red, then silent. Black Star's mouth broke into a grin. "Do you need me to carry you… _princess?_"

Before she could even retaliate, he had her in a fireman's lift and was climbing the cliff. Somehow, Liz was sure he knew just what a view of the ground he was giving her, that she was coming up with vivid images of what would happen if he dropped her. Even so, she kicked, screamed and flailed at how this was ruining her dignity.

Then the first one hit her. And a second. The two small stones sailed on, falling with a plop into the surf.

Black Star was not amused. "STOP THROWING STONES AT THE GREAT BLACK STAR, LITTLE ALIEN!"

Apparently, the Pot of Fire did not take well to being called a midget, and the volley of stones just kept on increasing until the squabbling pair finally reached the top.

All of a sudden, dropped her. A short scream came before she landed on grass, head first. Grumbling, she pushed herself up.

Black Star was towering over Fire. "Why the- AIIEEEEEEEEEE!" the now singed ninja screeched and ran in circles.

_Great. I've been shipwrecked on some psychopathic island with a retarded ninja and creepy toddler._

* * *

"…Are you sure it's safe?" the woman asked, biting her lip and twirling her hair on her index finger. Lord Death seemed to deflate slightly.

"It's not safe for anybody, Marie. Those kids may just be our safest option."

Marie stopped her hair-twirling, hands clenched into fists. "Why can't I go help?" she started pacing in frustration until a hand was placed on her shoulder. Turning around, Stein was staring straight at her.

"Have more faith in them, Marie. The future is coming faster than you think. Those kids are the future of Shibusen."

The woman slumped. She did trust them, and was well aware of just how much they could do- but it was frustrating her to be able to do nothing but wait. "…Yeah. I just…"

Stein smiled slightly at her, then turned to Lord Death. "I still wonder how they will hold up. Properia Island is a haven of madness. Which is exactly why I can't go."

Lord Death was staring at his mirror, as if, by sheer willpower, he could get it to function. Nothing made its way past the black and white blizzard.

* * *

An azure sea. The shining sun, glittering on the water. The endless sky. And in the distance sat an island; an emerald among the sapphire, appearing as a tropical paradise.

She smiled to herself, then soared down to meet it.

* * *

**AN: WOAH. I seriously didn't expect this to be so long. Originally, this chapter and the next one were supposed to be one chapter, but then I realised how long it was getting. Once again, I love reviews! And cookies! And I love anybody who reads my stories! Spread the love, guys. Spread the love.**

**I'm going to be away from the 8th-17th April, so no updates between those dates.**

**~Meg**


	3. Clinging On

**AN: Hi guys! I've been on holiday in Spain and am now ready to update! YAAAAAAY UPDATES!**

**Oh, and thanks to all of you who've reviewed! From what I can tell, my writing needs more clarity- I shall act upon that! *insert heroic pose here* Seriously, I was about to stop writing this, so it's good to be appreciated. Thank you to my sister Alice (MayContainRandomness) for helping me with ideas and phrases and an extra big slice of appreciation cake to LittleMissSophie, my Beta reader.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Soul Eater. If I did it would have stick figure drawings. I suck at art.**

He ran. He didn't even know who or what he was running from anymore- his instincts were telling him to. And it felt good to be moving, with secure ground under his feet. It felt good to be certain of at least one thing.

Gradually, the fog over his mind cleared, and the world was no longer made of twisted caricatures, grinning manically at him. They were fading away.

He tripped, but made no move to get up. He just lay on the ground; he rolled over to stare at the sky as he began to think once again.

"Stupid." Soul said to himself, wondering how he had lost it so easily. It was the island, he decided. The island was messing with his mind.

_**Look who's failed.**_

_Shut up, demon._ Get outta my head. Soul commanded, even though he knew it would have no effect. The demon smiled, showing its sharp, pointy teeth.

_**What happened to "I'll protect my meister", huh?**_

Soul cursed under his breath. What kind of idiot was he? Everything was crystal clear now, so childishly simple that he wanted to hit himself. He should have trusted Maka to defend herself. But he hadn't, and not only were they now partnerless, but he had injured her _himself._

Ignoring the demon's taunts, ignoring the insanity pressing upon him, he took off, trying to remember the way he came.

* * *

"Okay, this place is super creepy. It's all-WAAAH!"

Black Star burst into laughter as Liz picked herself up from the floor once again, glaring at the ninja boy.

"I hate these plants! I hate this island!"

"Then take off those stupid heels." Black Star said simply, shrugging. Liz fumed.

"Do you have ANY idea how much these things cost? And the ground's all iiickyy!"

"The great Black Star cannot have you slowing him down!"

Liz sighed to herself. She had been hoping to get through this forest nice and safe in her weapon form, but something told her that she wouldn't resonate with such an obnoxious boy, and she definitely wasn't going to trust a toddler with a gun. "Then how a-,"Liz stopped herself.

The ninja grinned, knowing what she'd been about to say. "Don't make me carry you again- you were too heavy for even the great Black Star!"

"I didn't mean- wait- what? Are you calling me fat?" She shrieked continuously, and then ducked with a squeal. Black Star looked at her questioningly before yelling in surprise as a jet of fire flew into him and threw himself out of the way. The fire raged for a short amount of time before subsiding Coughing on the smoke, Liz lay on the ground for a bit before trying to open her eyes. As it thinned, she saw a black path, littered with charcoal that had been trees under a minute ago. Looking the other way, the Pot of Fire had his arms folded triumphantly.

_Well, I guess that works too._

* * *

She circled the island continuously; at such a speed that she was in no danger of being noticed or clarified. She didn't know how much longer she would glide, or if her efforts would even bear fruit. But she knew that if the chance arose, her team would win.

It was a given, when you had eyes all around the island. Watching, waiting…

Blair was talking, but Ox heard nothing. It was all superficial talk about her working in a cabaret club, something he would rather not know about. Instead, he kept his mind intent on his studies, seeing if any would serve him now.

"Ox-kun? Are you listening?"

"Yes."

"Okay!" She started talking again, but was stopped.

"Wait!"

"Huh?" she said, dumping him on the ground. Ox got up, irritated as he dusted himself down.

"I recognise this place."

"…It all looks the same."

Ox sighed. "No, I'm sure we've already passed by here."

"Buuut-"

"We're walking in circles. Well, more of a figure of eight, I believe."

"Awww, I like circles!"

The boy facepalmed. "We'll go that way." He decided, setting off before the cat could try anything inappropriate.

* * *

Maka was hunched over, glad of the tree supporting her. The kick had winded her, and each breath was a fruitless struggle, a short, helpless gasp.

All of a sudden, she succeeded. It was a shallow breath, but others followed. Maka winced in pain, guessing that she must have broken a rib or two. Was that really the madness' strength?

Caliban loomed over her, that horrific gash of a mouth twisted into a smirk. He didn't need to speak- the madness spoke for him.

_**Amusing. To think that your trusted weapon betrayed you- but now's the time to have some fun.**_

Maka rolled away as a claw sliced through the space she had occupied only moments before. Getting to her feet, she started coughing violently, splattering blood onto the ground.

…Are you really giving up that easily? An internal presence mocked. You're better than that, and you know it.

She didn't know it. She just knew that she didn't want to die.

Fuelled with determination, Maka wrapped an arm around her ribcage in an attempt to reduce the pain and then sprinted away, teeth gritted as she forced herself to endure each agonising breath.

Caliban watched her for a few seconds, glad that the girl wasn't backing down without a fight. It was a while since anybody resisted, and to see her persisting through her pain; well, he wanted to see just how much she could handle. A sick, twisted sense of excitement spread though him at the thought of how he would test her; make her suffer until she begged to be freed. And free her he would.

With that thought he lolloped after her.

* * *

"Okay, Shinigami son- where do we go?" Jackie demanded, as the Pot of Thunder hid from her behind Harver (She had lost her temper earlier, and her rather inventive cursing had terrified the poor toddler. When scolded on this, her simple reply had been: "Do I look motherly to you?")

Kid considered Jackie's request. Looking around, he pointed in a random direction.

"…And your logic is…?"

"It leads to the island's centre. If the others have any sense, they'll head there too."

Harver spoke up. "And how many of them actually have sense?"

"Four maximum, I should think."

Thunder let out a soft sigh, whilst an annoyed Jackie folded her arms. "We don't really have another choice, do we?"

"Not really." Kid replied. "Anyway, I'll fight without a weapon, since all of you are asymmetrical. You guys okay without a meister?"

The three others nodded. "Well then," said Jackie, dusting herself down before transforming her hand into a lantern burner. "We'd better hurry up before… there are too many bad scenarios to even consider."

Kid _did_ consider and then shuddered with dread at the thought.

"Let's go." He said before any other ideas came. Summoning Beelzebub, he hopped on.

"Aaand why can't you walk?" Jackie asked, irritated.

"Because I have no idea what might be in there." He said simply, indicating to the ground with distaste (which seemed pretty pointless really, since his suit had already gone through a shipwreck, but OCD shinigamis will be OCD shinigamis)

Kid didn't even notice as Harver helped Thunder scramble onto the back- he only realised when the toddler was clinging to his legs. Harver raised an eyebrow.

"I hope you don't mind a passenger."

Kid was about to say that he did mind, in fact, but the child's teary eyes convinced him otherwise. Helping Thunder onto his shoulders, nobody noticed the triumphant smirk on the Thunder's face.

* * *

"I spy with my little eye… something beginning wiiith… T."

"Tree?"

"YEAH!"

Kim groaned, wondering how Tsubaki was patient enough to keep on answering Patti, especially since the answer never changed. Then again, Tsubaki had to be the most patient person in Shibusen to be Black Star's meister. But... the Tanuki witch shivered when she remembered the spontaneous outbursts on the boat. She never wanted to be present when Tsubaki snapped. _Ever._

"I spy wi-"

"SHH!" Kilik hissed suddenly, pulling the other two girls into the shadow of some trees. A hulking figure lumbered past, with three others trooping behind. They paused and sniffed the air for a second, causing Kim's heart to skip a beat. She could see their makeshift weapons, hear their heavy breathing.

She breathed again when they passed by and were out of sight. "What was that?" she asked, turning to Kilik. The boy shrugged.

"I dunno, but something tells me they're hardly gonna be welcoming."

Tsubaki nodded with agreement. "Kim…"

Kim grinned at the girl. "Think we can resonate?"

The taller girl smiled back and flew into the witch's hands in weapon form. Kim grasped it, getting used to the feel.

Kilik warned Patti to stay quiet before carrying on.

In ten minutes, they encountered three other run-ins with the island's occupants. Kim gradually came to realise that they were not monsters or animals, as she had originally thought; they were people, unkempt and animalistic in their movements, but human nonetheless.

"Why are there so many?" She asked, certain that there couldn't be this many all over the island.

"…I'm not sure. I think this is a hotspot for them or something."

Tsubaki whispered to them, in such a soft voice that she was barely audible. "But what are they?"

Kim answered that one. "I'm not sure. I don't think they even have souls…" she involuntarily shuddered.

5 minutes later, they stumbled upon it.

It was a shabby settlement, with huts made of sticks, leaves and scraps of fabric, odd pieces of jewellery or technology used as decorations – a butterfly brooch was speared through a palm frond; a necklace hung off the edge of a roof; a mobile phone had a hole through it and was pinned to a support. A photo lay discarded on the floor, now simply a scrap of paper that had yet to burn. A single pool of water stood in the middle, whilst fires crackled around it.

The strangest thing was _them_. They sat around the fires, shuffled around the area, drank and bathed in the pool with that same, blank expression on their face, glassy eyes staring at the air ahead. They were human, that was for certain, but they didn't seem alive anymore- like robots, automatic and emotionless.

"…Ready?" Kilik whispered. Kim nodded, gripping Tsubaki even harder.

"Let's roll." She replied before leaping out of her hiding place, ready to fight.

* * *

Meanwhile, two others were encountering the island's protectors on a much smaller scale.

Ox and Blair were faced with two of them- twins, by the look of them, not even teenagers yet. But they radiated evil and malice, so strong that Ox thought he would choke on it.

He also had no weapon on him, and he wasn't so keen on trusting Blair.

"I think retreating may be the best-"

"No! Ox-kun can stand back, I'll fight!" the woman retorted, pouting as she shoved Ox back. She turned to face them, pushing her hat up. A dagger shot through the air a few centimetres to her left, but the cat girl didn't flinch. She just smiled and lifted one finger.

"Pumpkin, pum-pum pumpkin!" she chanted in a sing-song voice as a magical pumpkin shot from her pointed finger into the duo. They were to too slow to dodge or defend and so took the blow head on. The figures flew away from each other, letting go of their weapons before crumpling onto the ground. They weren't dead, but they were certainly going to be unconscious for some time.

"…Is everybody trying to destroy the island?" asked a feminine voice, sounding exasperated.

The two turned to the source of the voice and saw three other figures, smudged black, emerging from behind the trees.

"Liz! Cutie toddler! E-number hair!" Blair squealed, running to hug Fire.

Ox blinked, deciding not to ask what they had done to burn so much of the forest. "Well, now we're together, should we head to the island's centre?"

"THE GREAT BLACK STAR WILL BEAT YOU THERE!" The ninja boy cried, ploughing a path through the trees as he charged.

* * *

He hadn't run the right way. At least, he didn't remember passing this area.

Soul panted with exhaustion, sprawled out on the ground after tripping up. Strange, he wasn't usually this clumsy. The island was screwing things up, he decided.

In fact, he was in a fairly pleasant clearing- the sun shone in through the window of the sky, endlessly blue. A small, well-built hut sat to the left, with a small stream running by.

Maka wasn't there.

Soul had taken off his jacket and tied it around his waist, rolling up his sleeves as the sun bore down. It was hot. Really hot.

Why couldn't he move? The heat was unbearable. He could swear it hadn't been this hot earlier. It felt like he was on fire. He was on fire, and the flames were leaping up to him. They had ghoulish faces and were screaming. They were consuming him.

"Soul!"

The flames were extinguished instantly, just another illusion of the madness. Soul groaned and put his head in his hands as he realised- he was helpless without his meister. What had he done?

"SOUL!"

Something slapped him round the face; that something was the Pot of Thunder. Soul didn't even blink as the toddler was gently moved out of the way, and he was looking into familiar golden eyes.

"Hey…Soul… Are you okay?" Death the Kid asked, genuinely concerned for his friend.

Soul's mind slowly began to function again. He blinked, and then sprang away, looking round to see that Jackie and Harver were there as well, looking at him expectantly.

He didn't know how, but he managed to word an entire sentence. "Have you seen Maka?"

"Maka? No." Kid replied, shaking his head sadly. "We- Soul?"

The boy had blacked out.

* * *

"Got them?" Kim asked, brushing hair out of her face as she panted.

"Yep. That was probably the last one."

The witch straightened and looked around. Yes, there was nothing. Nobody.

That lone photo lay on the floor. Abandoning her weapon form, Tsubaki picked it up. There were two figures- a teenage boy and a girl, hugging each other tightly, wide grins plastered across their faces. They were oblivious of their impending doom.

Feeling guilt begin to gnaw at her, she folded the photo and pocketed it, for she didn't have it in her to discard it. She bit her lip at the unfairness of it all- that so many people had lost their lives to this cursed island.

What kind of monster could do this?

"Tsubaki, we need to go." The girl turned to see Kim next to her, staring at the now abandoned village. "A person isn't a person without a soul. I'm not sure what those even were, but…" she gestured around. "They didn't have souls. Okay?"

Tsubaki nodded, reminding herself of the facts. So she turned away from the settlement and walked into the trees, with the group, determined that none of her friends would face that none of her friends would meet that fate.

* * *

"For God's sake Marie, pacing isn't going to do anything." Spirit snapped, glaring at the fretting woman. He was still moody about not being able to help Maka, causing him to lose his temper easily.

"Neither is standing here!" she counteracted.

"And neither is arguing." Stein spoke up, silencing both Death Scythes. "The point is, we can't go to the island. Like it or not, we actually have to trust those kids."

Marie bit her lip. "Can't we send anybody? _Anyone?_"

"No." Came the simple reply. Two aggravating letters. Stein took out his cigarette, breathing out a puff of smoke. "We can't. So just relax and hope for the best.

"Well… can you tell us about the island, Lord Death?" the woman asked, golden eyes full of worry. The shinigami sighed.

"Caliban and the demon island of Prosperia have existed for as long as anybody can remember. Unwary fishermen and locals of nearby islands have often found themselves shipwrecked after straying too close to one of its attractive storms."

"Do none of them die in these storms?"

"No. The storms are designed to keep the victims alive. Caliban weakens the body then drives out the soul. One of the island spirits takes over the body, and they work as an army."

Marie shuddered. "That's…" she didn't finish.

"Horrifying?" Stein finished questioningly. Marie nodded, causing the scientist to sigh and throw away his cigarette. "Yeah, it is."

* * *

The group were bickering. After walking continuously in circles/figures of eight/squares/triangles (they were still arguing about exactly which), nothing seemed to be coming of it. Of course this was the perfect time for squabbles.

"How can we be walking in triangles, dumbass? And you have to specify what kind of triangle it is!" Ox spat at Black Star, venom in his voice.

"A three sided one, duh. Besides, how can we be walking in a figure of eight? EIGHT IS NOT A SHAPE, EVEN I KNOW THAT!"

"Yeah. You probably think it's a letter" Liz snorted. "Am I the only one smart enough to know what a square is shaped like?"

"Blair prefers circles, nya."

"Just because you like circles does not necessarily mean you are walking in them." Liz replied curtly before tripping over once again. As of yet, she had continuously refused to remove her impractical heeled boots, despite the fact that she seemed unable to stay upright for more than two minutes on the bumpy and potholed forest floor.

And that is how, when they finally met up with the other groups, most of Blair's group members were singed and blackened, Liz was covered in leaves and twigs and Ox and Black Star had blood streaming down their faces. Not to mention that around a fifth of the forest had been burnt down.

When he saw them, Kid simply facepalmed. The young shinigami cleared his throat loudly, drawing the attention of everybody, who had been ranting about how much they hated the island. "Has anybody seen Maka?"

The silence was a substantial reply. Kid sighed. "I guess we're going to have to tell Soul then, when he wakes up." It was unusual to see the neat shinigami slump, but an overwhelming sense of dread washed over him. Soul wasn't the most sane person as it was; Kid feared telling him that nobody knew where Maka was, for there was no knowing as to how he would react. Gesturing for the others to follow him quietly, he lead them to the hut they had taken Soul to (which could possibly belong to one of the island creatures). Taking the utmost care to be quiet, Kid opened the door.

Except Soul wasn't there.

"What the hell?" Black Star yelled.

Without a word, the entire of Spartoi ran into the forest after him.

* * *

Maka's chest still hurt, but she was becoming used to it. She could run, find Soul, and fight. That was her plan, and it seemed flawless.

Until she found herself standing at the top of a cliff. A light breeze blew as the water rippled far below, and a sickening feeling of dread began to take hold of her, twisting her stomach into knots. Slowly, she turned to see Caliban as he emerged from the trees- the monstrosity that had killed so many. Once again, she saw that twisted, manic smile.

And she felt rage at this stupid hunk of rock and scrap metal. Rage for devouring so many innocent souls. Rage for creating such a cursed, insane island. Rage for smiling whilst he was trying to kill her.

_**Come on, girl. You can't run away now. Time to fight.**_

"Oh, trust me." She replied, bitter hatred in her voice. "I was never going down without a fight."

_**Have it your way. I can promise you, it won't end well.**_

Maka lunged towards him, her fist almost connecting with his face, but he swiped her away as though he were swatting a fly. The girl crashed through the trees helplessly.

Gritting her teeth, Maka picked herself up from the floor, trying to ignore the pain. Then she smiled.

"Idiot." She mocked him, and held out the bamboo stick that his attack had uprooted. "I'm armed now." It was just like a scythe without a blade, and the familiar feeling as she spun it set her at ease.

_**Impressive. You were true to your word about not giving in easily.**_

Caliban lunged towards her, claw at the ready. Maka defended herself with her makeshift weapon, blocking the attack. The two both pushed against each other, refusing to budge until the force of it sent both tumbling away.

Maka was quicker, however. Using the stick to support herself, she was quickly up, and dashing forwards. Swinging the stick at the monster, she was caught off guard as it hit her hard on the back and sending the bamboo flying out of her hand.

All she could do was stare as her weapon clattered to the ground and off the side of the cliff, and wince as she heard the soft splashing sound as it hit the water.

Before Maka knew it, she was pinned to the ground. Her head hit it hard, causing an almost unbearable pain to explode at the base of her skull. She could see the Kishin egg's face above her, but it was blurred. Strange, she hadn't cried for a while now. Why was she crying? She told herself that Soul was coming, and then they'd kick Caliban's ass together and laugh about it afterwards. Then they'd go back to Shibusen and Black Star would prance around declaring that he could have done it blindfolded with his hands tied behind his back. Tsubaki would agree politely as he struck a heroic pose and Patti would laugh whilst Liz and Kid sigh. Blair would try something inappropriate when they got home, resulting in a book-shaped dent in Soul's head. Then it would be another day. And another. And another.

So why was she crying? She kept telling herself to stop, that it would be fine. Even she knew it was a lie.

And so all she could do was scream as her life was torn from her.

* * *

**AN: OMG! A CLIFFY! Yeah, this chapter was actually meant to be longer, but my stupid sister told me it would be too long. I say it isn't. My last one was longer. I just have a… thing for long chapters. It's part of my nature to write ridiculously long stuff. I know, my fight scenes suck. I'm still working on that. I also apologise for being a slow updater, but that's just because I'm not a very fast typer.**

**In short, I suck.**

_B/R: Awh, you don't suck! And hello! I am the beta reader, as mentioned at the top of this chapter! xD I hope you had a good time reading yet another chapter of Reawakening in Death! Because she didn't say it, and I'm terribly cliche'd, I hope you peoples out there rate and review. Because that boosts our egos and makes us write more. *thumbs up*_


	4. A Storm Brewing

**AN: Chapter 4! YAAAY! I'm halfway to the perfect symmetry! Anyways, I can't believe it; I've split what was meant to be 1 chapter into 2 and ¼. God knows how long the entire story will be… *dies at the prospect of so much typing* I also forgot to say earlier, this may contain spoilers for the manga. I'm sorry for taking so long; I just discovered how much I suck at writing action. I seriously mean it. It took well over attempts to get out the Soul vs Caliban battle. Yeah, I'm apologising because you guys shouldn't have to wait so long. I know how irritated I get when fanfics take ages to update. I love each and every one of you for reading this!**

**Disclaimer: ~ **_Sad as it is to admit_

_I don't own Soul Eater, not one bit_

_I suck at writing poetry_

_So let's get on with the story ~_

* * *

The scream tore sliced through the air like a knife, sending all on the island into a stunned silence. Everything stood still- the waves, the breeze the people.

It took a few seconds for the world to begin moving again, slowly returning to its steady rhythm. A few seconds later, the group started to unfreeze as well. They murmured to their partners, questioned each other and kept looking around, glancing as if the source would miraculously appear.

There was no time to waste.

* * *

She saw the scene below, the girl's death. Everything was going according to plan.

Now all she needed was a window of opportunity…

* * *

Once again, he was running. This was different, though. Because Soul was running towards insanity, not away from it. And he didn't stop running, because every second of hesitation would be yet another second he would regret all his life.

He decided to ignore that piercing scream, despite its obvious message. He ignored it in favour of sprinting faster.

Goddammit. Where was Maka? The forest all looked the same. For all he knew, he could be running in completely the wrong direction. But his instincts were screaming to run this way, and Soul had no other indicators.

True, he was being reckless and rash. But he couldn't ignore the unease welling within him, the subconscious knowledge that something terrible had just happened.

Bursting through the treeline, he ground to a halt.

The sky was a powder blue, the sea cerulean. A scattering of wispy clouds danced in the distance, framing the golden sun. A black figure swooped across it- probably a bird. The cliffs descended into flawless white surf, throwing spray into the air every time the water slapped the cliff face.

There was a monstrous figure, whose hulking size blotted out all else.

That creature was holding a soul up to the light, inspecting the delicate flutter of its wings, the shine of its brilliant gold.

It was _her _soul.

His _meister's_ soul.

_Maka's_ soul.

This… thing, this monster that had torn so many lives apart with its claws of fate didn't deserve it.

Everything seemed insignificant now. Soul was oblivious to the taunts of the demon inside his head, numb to any feeling of tiredness or exhaustion. The world around him seemed to fade into oblivion, leaving only that glowing orb, and the creature holding it. And one, strong, powerful instinct kicked in.

He would kill this thing.

The cold, cruel bloodlust was alien, something out of character for him. Yet now that was his one goal, and he was determined to fulfil it.

With a roar, he transformed his arm into a shining blade and lunged forward. Sensing the danger, Caliban turned, blocking the attack with its arm, releasing her soul to float in midair. Bits of rock chipped off where the scythe had made contact, but he remained otherwise undamaged.

_Crap._

Persevering, he lunged again, this time aiming for the shoulder. There was a satisfying thunk as the now dismembered arm dropped to the ground. In his triumph, however, Soul was caught off guard as the other arm collided with his gut, knocking him to the ground. For a second, he struggled to breathe; he only defended in a nick of time when it attacked once again.

_**Hmm. That girl could do pretty well without you.**_ The voices of his two demons taunted.

_Shut. Up. _was all he could think of narrowly avoided the blow, standing upright once again. This thing… it was made of rock and metal. How on earth was he supposed to kill it?

Before Soul could register anything, he had instinctively ducked to avoid a deathly swipe, the claw inches away from his face. This creature was deadly- there was a low likelihood of survival.

The shield his bloodlust had enabled him was beginning to waver, as was his murderous intent. He knew that he had to end the battle soon; otherwise he would lose hope completely. And hope was all he seemed to have at the moment.

Unknowingly, he stepped into a routine- block an attack, dart to the side, attempt to hit. Neither party was having much success, the monotonous rhythm fruitless to both.

_Goddamn it. _He just needed to kill this thing!

In his mind's eye, he could see the crimson, suited demon grinning, jagged teeth glinting in the black room's dim light.

He was at a loss for what to do next. He had lost.

Soul lay on his back and watched the claw's descent towards him, almost eagerly. Now that he expected to die, it was surreal, to say the least. But, then again, everything was odd now.

Just as he had come to terms with the concept of death, a shot was heard, and the creature had fallen temporarily.

What the…?

"Asymmetrical trash." The young shinigami snarled, shooting continuously. The shots paralysed the demon, but they still weren't doing anything to destroy it.

In one final attempt, Soul lunged blindly. As if luck had been simply tormenting him, and the torture was over, his blade travelled through the Kishin egg's gash of a mouth, protruding out the other side easily.

Three seconds later, a red orb was in the air.

Eight seconds after that and three teenagers were walking towards him.

"Hey, Soul?" Liz said. "Where's Ma-" She went silent when she noticed Maka's soul, hands flying to her mouth as tears began to prick at her eyes. "That's not…It can't… this is…" she never finished any of her sentences. Patti looked at it curiously, as if she hadn't quite digested the truth yet. Kid had bowed his head down in respect.

The thud of footsteps and the announcement of a godly presence. Kid turned to glare at the blue haired ninja.

"Shut up." He snapped, eyes filled with fire. Liz pointed with a shaking hand to the soul which floated, oblivious to the misery it was causing.

Tsubaki returned to her human form and began to wail, distraught. Her tears ran in silvery lines down her cheeks, then began to pour in torrents. Black Star was silent…

…And then he burst out laughing.

"SHUT UP!" Liz shrieked, whisking round to see the blue haired ninja laughing his ass off.

Black Star only managed to speak through his chuckles. "Am I… the only… smart… one here? HAHAHA!"

Liz frowned. "What do you mean?"

Having finally managed to reduce his laughing fit to the occasional chortle, he grinned. "Am I the only one godly enough to realise? Maka ain't dead!"

Everyone turned to him, eyes wide. The ninja boy was grinning ear to ear, but… He was plainly in denial.

"P…please, Black Star… just…" Tsubaki tried to plea through her hiccups.

The rest of Spartoi had arrived, all respectfully silent.

"MAKA. AINT. DEAD!"

"SHUT UP!" The scythe roared spontaneously, spinning round on his heel, crimson eyes aflame. He grabbed a hysterical Black Star by the scarf and continued to yell. Kid sprang into action, trying to pull the warring two apart.

"Shush!" Kim hissed, causing them to instantly go silent. They heard it. It was quiet but distinguishable.

"_Chi chi chi chi chi…."_

Kim yelled "Get down!" They all obeyed as an explosion went off, followed by five more.

The explosions shook the ground, disorientating them. Even when they had stopped, the group spent a few moments gathering their bearings before slowly getting up as the smoke cleared.

"What the heck was that?" Kilik mumbled, wiping his glasses before comforting to two pots.

"It's that mouse witch…" Blair spat, remembering the night of the Kishin's resurrection, and the certain pink haired witch she had started a cat fight with.

Liz frowned. "The one who bombed us on that train? What's she doing here…?"

There was silence until Tsubaki yelled "Look!"

They followed the direction she was pointing in. Nothing.

"Tsubaki, what is it?"

"Maka-chan's s-s-soul." She stuttered. "It was there!"

She was right. Where the glowing gold orb had once been was now an empty space.

"WHAT THE HELL?" Soul screeched, charging forwards, looking around frantically. A hand went on his shoulder, and he turned around to see the eyes of his shinigami friend.

"It's gone. She took it."

* * *

Eruka twiddled with the edge of her skirt, pulled on her hat, stomped her feet. What was taking so long? Had something gone wrong?

Medusa had instructed her to wait for Mizune, collect the soul and bring it to her. Simple enough, but waiting on the shingle beach for hours was becoming tedious. It was becoming evening; rhubarb and custard streaks painted the sky, the sun slowly wobbling its way out of sight whilst comically attempting to fend off sleep.

The frog witch hoped her friends were okay. She still felt guilty lying to them about their sister's death, but… she shuddered and moaned at the thought of the snakes inside her.

That reminded her, Medusa was probably becoming impatient.

"Mizuneeee…" she moaned with a _ribbit_. "Hurry up!"

It was the fifth time she had made that plea to the pebbles around her.

Half an hour later, she spotted a speck on the horizon. She jumped up in excitement, beaming.

They landed in front of her, the front one proudly carrying the soul in its teeth. Eruka praised them as she took, hugging the item protectively to her chest.

"Thank you! You guys can go, I'll take over from here, m'kay?"

With a chorus of _chi_, the witch family departed. Eruka watched their flight before setting out herself.

She had a long journey ahead of her.

* * *

It was dark. If only witches could take public transport- a train would have been convenient round about now.

Eruka groaned as she walked along the twisting country path. It was night now – the sadistic moon grinned murderously at her. The frog witch was glad that the glowing grigori soul shed some light, though she was unnerved by the delicate flutters the wings gave every so often, each movement causing her to clutch it closer in fear that it would fly away.

Her tadpole friend floated beside her, easing her nerves slightly, but she still hated this. Eruka was neither the strongest nor the bravest of witches. She did love destruction, but she was also quick to flee. She'd just been content hiding from Shibusen and feeling pride in her survival. Eruka had never wanted to become involved in this conspiracy.

"Oh really?"

Eruka froze. Had she been talking aloud to herself again? Who was that voice?

Footsteps slowly approached; she was too scared to move.

"Eruka Frog, please hand me the grigori soul."

* * *

_I can hear the sea._

_I think I recognise that sound_

_What's it called, déjà vu?_

_I open my eyes, but all there is to greet me is the fire._

_It's burning everything- the trees, the shrubbery, me._

_I can't stand it. I want to scream, but just breathing makes me want to die, for it to all end._

_The smoke is fogging my vision._

_I can only vaguely make out the figure in front of me through the tears in my eyes_

_They hold out a hand._

_In desperation, I take it._

* * *

**AN: Waaah! So short! My sister made me write up a plan and everything, so now my chapters are all going to be shorter than before. Sorry for you fans of longer chapters, but my sister can be scary sometimes.**

**And seriously, it took me this long to update and this was the best I could do? This chapter is just bleh.**

**I know, this chapter's all mysterious at the end. If everything was all nice and explained, it would just be boring.**

**You know what? Instead of crying about how suckish this chapter was, go to my profile and look at the fail whale.**

**Adios, amigos!**

* * *

_B/R: Hiya! Sorry this took so long, everyone and their moms seems to have technical problems these days… hopefully you enjoyed this chappie enough to Rate and Review? :D [Even though no one rates] Reviews makes writers like us more motivated to write, always remember that._


	5. On hiatus

**AN: Okay, I'm going to put this plainly-**

**I'm putting this story on hiatus.**

**Face it, the updates just aren't coming. I've tried writing, I truly have, but it just hasn't worked out the way I wanted. Maybe, one day, I'll be able to pick this up again.**

**However, don't think that I'm abandoning Soul Eater anytime soon. One of my primary reasons for putting this on hiatus is because I've got an AU in the making that will be coming soon, entitled **_**Happily Never After.**_

**Thank you to all who read and reviewed **_**Reawakening in Death**_**. Trust me, I'm not finished with this story. It's just that updating had become too difficult, and the words aren't flowing.**

**I _hope _that I'll be able to continue this in a least 3 months, but I doubt it. Can you forgive me?**

**~Meg**


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